ORANGE COUNTY CHAPTER
February Meeting:
Date: Mon., 2/23/2026
Time: 7:00 pm
Location: Zoom
For our January meeting we met at Piano Empire in Buena Park - a beautiful new store and quite large. It's close to Knott's Berry Farm. Our presenter was James McGehee, and his topic was finding a better hammer tone in grand pianos, especially in the upper treble section. He showed us how he first listens for a note that has a weak or nasal tone. Then he moves the action in and out to find the sweet spot where the hammer sounds best. James then notes how far the action moved and removes the hammer and reglues it normally closer to the player by maybe three or four millimeters. He does this for a section of hammers, not just one and the result is a slight curve in the hammer line resulting in much improved hammer tone. He says he has done this on all pianos regardless of age.
We had a good turnout and it was great to see everyone including our President, David Stoneman and a new member. There was a lively discussion afterwards. Thanks to store manager Rod Baker for hosting us.
Our February meeting will be a Zoom presentation by chapter president, Randy Woltz, on "Understanding The Drop Action Spinet." This was a request from a member who wanted to know more about these sometimes challenging instruments. Randy has given this class at several national conventions and will be doing it again in Washington D.C. this summer. For someone new to the spinet, there are things to look out for such as how to remove the action safely, the different types of connectors from the back of the key to the whippen, old plastic elbows, music rack fix and more!
The log-in link will be listed later - please contact Randy Woltz for more information. The session will be February 23rd at 7:00 pm.